Why Do Football Players Wear Visors?

by
JONATHAN CROSWELL Last Updated: Jul 04, 2015

Jonathan Croswell

Jonathan Croswell has spent more than five years writing and editing for a number of newspapers and online publications, including the "Omaha World-Herald" and "New York Newsday." Croswell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Nebraska and is currently pursuing a Master's of Health and Exercise Science at Portland State University.

Football visors have not been around for long. They first appeared in competitive football in the 1980s as a way to protect the injured eyes of active football players. But the use of these protective visors have exploded since then, and many players choose to wear them out of personal preference. Even so, the preventative benefits of visors are indisputable.

Protection

The primary function of visors is protective in nature. Some players wear visors temporarily to prevent damage from occurring to an existing injury, and then remove the visor once the injury has healed. But other players choose to wear visors permanently to prevent an injury from occurring -- this can happen if fingers or a foot strike the eyes in the helmet's opening.

Improved Vision

Another key benefit to visors is their ability to improve a player's vision. This is most notable when the ball becomes lost in the sun or overhead lights -- visors can operate as sunglasses and improve vision when staring into bright lights. According to ESPN.com's Page 2, some also increase color contrast, making vision sharper on the field.

Expression

According to ESPN.com's Page 2, some players choose to wear certain visors as a means of expressing themselves. The visors can feature colors and patterns that are visible from the exterior and set a player apart from the rest of the uniformed players. In 2005, for example, Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown chose to wear a sunburst-patterned visor in a game. However, he was issued a fine from the league for violating uniform code.

Considerations

Although most football leagues allow visors to be worn, some teams do not allow the visors to be worn unless the player has a medical need for one. This is up to the coach's or team's preference. In addition, many leagues, including the NFL, have rules on what type of visor may be worn. The NFL requires each visor worn in a game to be approved by the NFL before its use. If this rule is violated, the offending player is reprimanded with a fine.

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